Forced Marriage: Escaping Her Monster

As Jerlina ate her breakfast, she felt the excruciating pain in her entire mouth. She knew it is because of the impacted wisdom teeth and the dentist already advised her to do an extraction of the tooth a couple of years ago. 

But the thing is, she is terrified of dentists!

She can barely hold on for routine check-ups, but anything more than that, she'd be terrified. A surgery? She'd die before she is given an anaesthetic. 

She did her usual home remedies and ended up on the bed. Even after taking painkillers, it still hurt and she curled up on the bed. 

Where is Scarlett when you need her?

Jerlina rolled on the bed. With how "curious" she was last night, she thought she'd visit in the morning. 

Should I call her?

Jerlina tried to get her phone, but then another bout of pain crippled her and she curled back on the bed. 

It's fine... It will go away in a day or two like always...

She has this pain at times. The last time she had this pain was when she was held in the cabin. It was calm like this then too. But she had her baby in her belly then.

She couldn't control her tears and started crying. Her entire head hurt, her heart hurt and she didn't know what she could do and ended up sobbing.

-----

Jeremy took a sip of the coffee in front of him. Ashley (Foxy ) gripped the document she had onto her chest as she sucked in a deep breath.

She knew she is taking a big risk here, but she wanted to stay true to her conviction.

Jerlina is bad for Jeremy! 

"State your problem doing your job?" Jeremy's voice seemed flat, but his eyes looked menacing as he sipped his coffee.

"You cannot give that much money to a secretary. There are rules-"

"Who are you, Ms. Mathews?" he asked placing the mug on the coaster.

"I'm... a staff accountant.. of Fitzgerald Lumber Corp?" Ashley guessed that Jeremy is meaning to ask her designation and replied with doubt. 

"So you are not the CEO or even the CFO?" his intense eyes fixed on her and she subconsciously took a step back.

Jeremy found out her trying to gather people to speak against his unusual spending habits for Jerlina using the company's money. And now she is getting reprimanded for something she did out of care for Jeremy.

Isn't this too much?

"No Sir, I am not."

"What were you trying to do, Foxy?" he raised his brows. "Was I about to hear some 'assault' complaints against my wife like before? This time who is the victim? Is it going to be Emma? Or Tara? Or someone else?" he gritted his teeth, fisting his hands under the table.

Come on Foxy, tell me that Hank really was trying to assault Emma...

Jeremy noticed  Foxy's expression turning to confusion for a moment.

Please... tell me you didn't lie...

Ashley at first didn't understand what he was saying. She never went to Jeremy to complain about Jerlina. But suddenly she remembered the only time she stood in front of Jeremy to be a witness for a complaint.

Oh, f*ck! Why is he bringing that up again? That was...

Jeremy watched the minute changes in her expression but she turned visibly pale like she has seen a ghost. He sighed.

"Come clean, Foxy. I'll spare you." 

"TJ... Hank did try to assault Emma. I stopped him before he laid his hands-"

"You said Emma's clothes were torn when you found her and that you offered your coat to Emma," Jeremy glared at Ashely and she stumbled as perspiration formed on her forehead. "You guys stood in front of me and Emma was wearing your f*cking coat, Foxy!"

"Be honest, Foxy... A man died and if you don't come clean, your aunt will suffer the same fate as Hank," he tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair.

Ashley dropped the document on the floor and she bent to pick it up. But her knees went weak and her eyes clouded. She could hear her pounding heart in her ears and she heard nothing else.

Same fate as Hank? He will execute my aunt? My aunt? Why? How... how is he remembering everything? Does he record everything as they say?

What should I do?

Aunty... no, I can't let you get hurt...

"TJ... that day... When I saw, Hank was confronting Emma. He was loud... and threatening her... When I interfered..." she gulped and looked at Jeremy. He still had his menacing look on and she bowed her head and started to sob.

"I'm sorry... he went away once I was there... I am sorry... But Emma couldn't stop shaking and she... she felt very unsafe with Hank aro-und...Tara came that time with the others and we...I'm sorry... But... we felt bad for Emma and..."

She wiped her face in her sleeves and looked up. "You wouldn't know how threatening is it when you have a man blocking you and shout at you, TJ! It won't be the same... Men are not at all trustworthy...It's not our fault... Hank shouldn't have threatened Emma..."

Jeremy closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. The corners of his lips twitched with anger and he fisted his hand.

Foxy was drugged and gangr*ped when she was seventeen. Unfortunately, she remembered everything. They were her brother's "friends". Her then fifteen-year-old brother, who was a drug addict sold out his sister for a "fix". 

And so, she has reasons to have trust-issues with men. But others? 

"Whose idea was it?" he asked. He wanted to know who can be that twisted to come up with such a terrible accusation on a man.

"I... we... we came up with... Emma was terrified... she said she's contemplating suicide because of Hank... She was shaking, TJ... And I... we... came up with it..."

She really didn't remember how they arrived to that conclusion.

"Who came up with accusing Hank of r*pe?" Jeremy banged the table and Ashely winced and crawled back. 

Jeremy could see she is terrified of men shouting at her and still he wanted to find out the truth.

"That..." Ashely couldn't think, but she went back to that day in her memory. She had no regrets about protecting Emma that day, but she will not lose her aunt over it. Her aunt is her everything. 

"Emma... she was shivering... Tara was comforting and I was shouting at Hank who left... Emma said... She wished she won't see Hank again... and Tara... we...we knew you liked Hank and... we were talking how you will stand by Emma... But Emma wasn't convinced... she was trembling...'If only Hank disappeared from Peyton as Skunky did' - she said and we... Tara... she came up with..."

Foxy then went on with how they gathered some other girls to be convincing and after going through the narrative, came to him.

So it was not Emma... It was Tara! 

Jeremy felt like a weight got lifted from his chest. 

But Skunky... Emma brought up Skunky...